HEP - ASTRO SEMINAR | Search for Elastic Scattering of Dark Matter in the Laboratory with the LUX/LZ Detectors

The LUX/LZ series of experiments planned at the Sanford Underground Research facility, located in Lead, SD will be at the frontline of direct detection of dark matter. The experiments utilize the two-phase xenon time projection chamber technique, which has proven to be very effective in such searches. I will describe the detectors and present the latest limits on spin-independent dark matter-nucleon elastic scattering cross section, which are derived form an 85-day run of LUX. I will also present advances in simulation techniques for studying the response of the xenon medium to various incident particles. Finally, I will outline the plans for the generation-2 LZ detector, which now has an advanced design.